UBU COMPLAINTS POLICY

 

We want all of our members, customers and everyone who deals with UBU to be happy with their experience and the services we provide. However, if things do go wrong, we want you to be able to let us know. We welcome feedback, and see this as an opportunity to better understand how we can achieve our vision, mission and values.

 

You can make a complaint under this policy if your complaint relates to:

• the conduct of a UBU member or members
• UBU services (including commercial services, events, the advice service and representation services)
• UBU clubs, societies, sports teams, volunteering opportunities or activities
• the conduct of a member of UBU staff
• the conduct of a UBU trustee
• the conduct of an Executive Officer (full-time or part-time)
• UBU democratic events or processes (such as elections, the AGM and student council)
• information or publications by UBU or displayed on UBU premises
• UBU student media
• you having exercised your right not to be a member of UBU, and feeling that you have been unfairly disadvantaged because you have done so.

This policy is for complaints about UBU only. For complaints about the University of Bristol (including academic matters, or University of Bristol services), you will need to use the University’s Student Complaints Procedure.

 

1. Informal Complaint

1. To enable us to resolve your complaint or problem as quickly as possible, please speak to a member of UBU staff and explain:
   1. what is wrong/what has happened
   2. if you can, what you would like them (or UBU) to do to help you.
2. The member of staff (or their manager, if appropriate) will:
   1. try to help you straight away
   2. if it is not possible to help you straight away, let you know what they are going to do and keep you informed
   3. check that you are happy with their response, and with any resolution they propose.
3. If you are not happy with the response you receive to your informal complaint, or you have not received a response within a reasonable time, or you feel that your complaint is so serious it cannot be dealt with informally, you should make a Formal Complaint.

     2. Formal Complaint

1. To make a Formal Complaint, you will need to complete a Complaint Form. Electronic copies are available at https://www.ubu.org.uk/about/complaints/form/; hard copies are available at the Welcome Desk (at UBU) and at InfoPoint (on Tyndall Avenue).
2. You should submit your completed Complaint Form to the Chief Executive by email at Samantha.Budd@bristol.ac.uk. Please ensure that you mark the subject of your email as “Complaint”. If you are unable to submit your Complaint Form by email, you may submit it by post (marked for the attention of the Chief Executive) at The University of Bristol Students’ Union, Queens Road, Bristol BS8 1LN.
3. If your complaint is about the Chief Executive, you should submit your complaint to the Chair of the Board of Trustees. If your complaint is about the Chair of the Board of Trustees, you should submit your complaint to the Deputy Chair. You can obtain contact details for the Chair or Deputy Chair from UBU’s Executive Administrator.
4. If you have supporting documents, or other evidence in support of your complaint, please submit these with your Complaint Form.
5. We will only be able to consider your complaint if you:
   1. provide details of your name, address, email address and student number (if you are a student)
   2. give full details of what has happened
   3. submit your Complaint Form within 10 working days of the incident giving rise to your complaint, unless there are exceptional reasons why this is not possible.
6. The Chief Executive will identify an appropriate member of UBU staff or an appropriate full-time Executive Officer (the “Appropriate Person”) to process your complaint.
7. That Appropriate Person will:
   1. acknowledge your Formal Complaint as soon as possible
   2. investigate your complaint and gather any evidence
   3. within 15 working days of receipt of your Formal Complaint, inform you of the outcome of your complaint or, if it has not been possible to resolve your complaint within that timeframe, explain to you the reason for this and when you can expect an outcome.

     3. What happens next? 

1. UBU has a number of procedures which may be applied to your complaint, if appropriate. These include:
   1. disciplinary procedures for UBU staff
   2. disciplinary procedures for UBU members, clubs or societies under Byelaw 9 of our Byelaws
   3. removal of UBU’s trustees under Articles 31 or 33 of our Articles of Association
   4. removal of UBU’s Sabbatical Officers under Article 34 of our Articles of Association
   5. decisions by the Returning Officer under our Election Regulations.

If a particular procedure is to be used in relation to your complaint, you will be informed.

1. We will report annually on the Formal Complaints we receive, summarising the volume, nature and resolutions of complaints received. All complaints referred to in that report will be anonymised.
2. If your complaint relates to criminal behaviour, we may refer the matter to the police.
3. If your complaint relates to “misconduct” under the University of Bristol’s Student Disciplinary Regulations, we may refer the matter to the University.

     4. If you are unhappy with the outcome of your Formal Complaint

1. If you are unhappy with the outcome of your Formal Complaint, you may appeal to UBU’s board of trustees by submitting a request to UBU’s Executive Administrator within 10 days of receiving UBU’s response to your Formal Complaint.
2. Your appeal will be considered on the basis of the papers you submitted for your Formal Complaint. New evidence will not be considered.
3. Your appeal will usually be considered at the next scheduled board meeting following submission of your appeal request. If the next scheduled board meeting falls less than seven days after you submit an appeal request, consideration of your appeal will be delayed until the following board meeting, to ensure that the trustees have adequate time to consider your complaint.
4. If your Formal Complaint concerned the conduct or a UBU trustee or trustees, that trustee or those trustees will excuse themselves from the board during any discussion, deliberation or consideration of your appeal.
5. The decision of the board of trustees in respect of a Formal Complaint is final and binding on all parties.